Teddy Bear's Picnic
by Mistress of the Knight
Summary: A dark and twisted take on my favorite nursery rhyme. Just a short little tale!


_AN/ This is a little short story that I wrote a couple of years ago but when I saw that Fanfiction had a Fairy Tales section I couldn't resist posting. This was written in response to a challenge to rework a fairy tale. I chose a nursery rhyme but that's close enough, right! Sorry for anyone who's awaiting a new chapter on Winding River. I'll get there I promise but I'm under a lot of pressure at the moment! If anyone has the time I'd love to hear comments on this._

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**Teddy Bear's Picnic**

They try to make me sleep, with their needles and brightly coloured pills, but I won't. I know what'll happen.

It's his fault I'm in here. This all started when Mum got Snowy down from the top of the wardrobe. I had been sneaking into her room for ages, sitting and gazing up through the dust speckled sunlight to bask in his loving smile. He was magical. He was whiter than anything could possibly be and he looked so soft. Made from real lamb-skin a long time ago for Grandma when she was a girl. Although no-one had ever told me, I knew that beneath that soft fur was the skin of that long dead lamb, and that made him more terrible and wonderful. Mum would sometimes give in to my begging and turn the key at his back to set the music going. He would tinkle out his tune as I hummed the words and twirl around the room.

"If you go down to the woods today,

You're in for a big surprise"

I never got to stroke his soft curls. He was too old, a cherished family heirloom, very fragile, been in the family for ages. That was alright. He shouldn't be touched. It was right that that silky hair shouldn't be spoilt by dirty fingers.

Certainly not by Kelly's, that were always smeared with something sticky. She could always get treats by showing off or by lying. It would be "Mummy, Sam hurt me again!" and then there would be cuddles and lollipops and smacks and "Go to your room"s. She always got what she wanted, and that day she wanted Snowy.

When she asked he was brought down from his altar without a word. It wasn't fair, I was eldest and she would only spoil him. I knew exactly what she would do. She would climb up on a chair and take Mum's sewing scissors with the pearl handles from the top shelf in the kitchen cupboard and hack at his face, cutting his shiny black eye out until it dangled from a long cord of thread to gaze blackly at the floor.

Mum came running at the screams and I was sent to my room to think about what I'd done whilst she was left clutching my poor mutilated Snowy and making tears bubble up in her oh so pretty blue eyes.

That night I wanted to run far away from her and them and everyone. I ran through the night into the wild wood, everything made blurry by tears and rage. Brambles clawed at my legs and when I scuffed my slippers through the slimy leaves I nearly chocked on the rot. There must have been a moon that night for the light looked cold and sharp as it trickled through the cage of branches to make weird shapes loom out at me. I remember creeping around one tree in my path. It had reached out in with twisted wooden arms as its truck bulged over coils of barbed wire which had bitten deep into its tortured bark. I'd stuffed my fingers in my ears so I wouldn't have to hear its silent scream of agony.

I had run past deeper into the gloom, stretched fingers grasping the shadows, both wishing for and terrified of feeling something slide over them in the never ending darkness. Suddenly I'd felt like my hands had been caught in a tangled net, silken threads floating forward to cling to hair and face, and I'd felt a sort of metallic taste on my tongue. I'd muffled a scream from the wood's unfriendly ears and had clawed frantically at my cheeks and hands, trying to get rid of the horrible stickiness, all the time expecting the stroke of hairy legs on my lips and eyelids.

Then had come the light. I saw it a short way in front of me and it had beckoned with flickering tongues through the creeping shadows. I had seen movement. Quick shapes darting between me and the light. I knew there was something very bad in that clearing. I really didn't want to go to that place, but I couldn't help it, the darkness pushed me on and I stumbled forward.

At first sight it was almost funny. A sea of fur stretched out before me, a rainbow of browns, as the little figures cavorted around the fire. Their small limbs jerked stiffly as they were forced into unnatural positions in a weird sort of tribal dance. They had no grace in the way they moved. The little potbellied goblins lurched from one pose to another like just woken corpses. Their fur was matted and torn and one was trailing a whole branch from one leg, seeming not to care as it shambled after its partners.

Some were not dancing. There were groups hunched around the edges of the circle, clustered around horribly familiar lumps and silently rocking slowly backwards and forwards. I saw one small black one reach forward to scoop up an armful of pale blond fluffy hair, stained pink in the firelight, and stuff it into a gaping tear in its belly before reaching for more. A larger brown figure, with horrible wounds, one arm missing and leaking dirty grey stuff, leant forward and tried to lift something with its clumsy single paw. It was an arm, white and chubby. In the dim, flickering firelight it looked almost as stiff and pale as the arm of Kelly's doll Cynthia when I had pulled it off that time. I watched as it was jammed against a stone and levered up with furry little legs to be shoved roughly into the gaping hole. It didn't fit very well, but it must have been well enough because it started to move the fingers stiffly, as it slowly waved to the others.

I wanted to run but couldn't stop looking. I knew there was more to see. There he was. Snowy. In the centre of the nearest group, his fur matted black in places in the light of the flames. He was facing away from me and I desperately wanted for him not to turn around. I tried to burrow backwards into the bushes, to disguise myself in shadow, but I could feel a whimper bubbling up through the terror. He turned and looked at me, stared with his one shiny bright black eye. The other dangled slightly and wobbled as he moved. It shot accusing glances at me with its bloodshot blue iris as it swayed.

They came towards me then, silently marching with Snowy in the lead. I looked around in panic and saw the light glinting off the pearl handles of a pair of scissors lying where they had been dropped on the floor in front. I grabbed at them and blindly stabbed forwards with them clutched tight in both fists, warm wetness running between my fingers and screams echoing in my ears…

My parents came to visit yesterday.

I wanted to talk to them but I knew I couldn't. My mother was crying when she left. I heard her say to the doctor

"We've brought the bear, if you think it'll help. I'm sure Kelley would have wanted …. Oh, God.. Why!" I wanted to say something, to stop her from crying but I had to keep quiet because they brought _him_ in then.

He's sitting in front of me now, a secret smile on his embroidered lips. He is staring unblinking at me with that one knowing eye. His song is running out and I hold my breath waiting as each pause grows longer and more threatening to see if it's finally finished. It'll happen soon.

Today's the day ….


End file.
